Communities’ Perceptions and Coping Strategies to Flood Hazard in a Peri-Urban Catchment: The Case Study of the Zio River Basin, Togo, West Africa

Têtou-Houyo Blakime; Kossi Komi; Kossi Adjonou; Akouété Galé Ekoue; Kodjovi Senanou Gbafa; Botolisam Polorigni; Peter Oyedele; Kouami Kokou

doi:doi:10.11648/j.ijsdr.20241002.11

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Communities’ Perceptions and Coping Strategies to Flood Hazard in a Peri-Urban Catchment: The Case Study of the Zio River Basin, Togo, West Africa

Têtou-Houyo Blakime

, Kossi Komi^*

, Kossi Adjonou

, Akouété Galé Ekoue

, Kodjovi Senanou Gbafa

, Botolisam Polorigni

, Peter Oyedele

, Kouami Kokou

Published in International Journal of Sustainable Development Research (Volume 10, Issue 2)

Received: 6 April 2024 Accepted: 23 April 2024 Published: 10 May 2024

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Abstract

Climate and land use changes have exacerbated the frequency and intensity of floods in West Africa. In Togo, the communities of the Zio river sub-basin are regularly affected by flood hazard with severe socio-economic consequences. The main objective of this article is to contribute to the improvement of the resilience of these populations through a better understanding of their perceptions and coping strategies to flood hazards. To achieve this goal, a mixed method consisting of household surveys, focus groups and direct observation is used. In addition, the data collected at the household level focused on the perceptions of the flood (origin and cause), the socio-economic impacts as well as the coping strategies. The results indicate that more than 80% of the households are affected by floods and the main negative consequences are the destruction of houses (40.8%), and interruption of socio-economic activities (58.4%). In addition, the efforts to cope with the severe impacts of floods include embankment (71.6%), storage on occasional shelves (52.3%), digging ditches (26.6% and the construction of cement houses with fairly raised foundations (13.1%). This study shows that is important to integrate indigenous knowledge and local population’s opinions in the flood risk management plans in order to increase their resilience.

Published in	International Journal of Sustainable Development Research (Volume 10, Issue 2)
DOI	10.11648/j.ijsdr.20241002.11
Page(s)	43-55
Creative Commons	This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.
Copyright	Copyright © The Author(s), 2024. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Floods, Perceptions, Coping Strategies, Resilience, Peri-Urban, Zio River Basin

References

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APA Style

Blakime, T., Komi, K., Adjonou, K., Ekoue, A. G., Gbafa, K. S., et al. (2024). Communities’ Perceptions and Coping Strategies to Flood Hazard in a Peri-Urban Catchment: The Case Study of the Zio River Basin, Togo, West Africa. International Journal of Sustainable Development Research, 10(2), 43-55. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijsdr.20241002.11

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ACS Style

Blakime, T.; Komi, K.; Adjonou, K.; Ekoue, A. G.; Gbafa, K. S., et al. Communities’ Perceptions and Coping Strategies to Flood Hazard in a Peri-Urban Catchment: The Case Study of the Zio River Basin, Togo, West Africa. Int. J. Sustain. Dev. Res. 2024, 10(2), 43-55. doi: 10.11648/j.ijsdr.20241002.11

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AMA Style

Blakime T, Komi K, Adjonou K, Ekoue AG, Gbafa KS, et al. Communities’ Perceptions and Coping Strategies to Flood Hazard in a Peri-Urban Catchment: The Case Study of the Zio River Basin, Togo, West Africa. Int J Sustain Dev Res. 2024;10(2):43-55. doi: 10.11648/j.ijsdr.20241002.11

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@article{10.11648/j.ijsdr.20241002.11,
  author = {Têtou-Houyo Blakime and Kossi Komi and Kossi Adjonou and Akouété Galé Ekoue and Kodjovi Senanou Gbafa and Botolisam Polorigni and Peter Oyedele and Kouami Kokou},
  title = {Communities’ Perceptions and Coping Strategies to Flood Hazard in a Peri-Urban Catchment: The Case Study of the Zio River Basin, Togo, West Africa
},
  journal = {International Journal of Sustainable Development Research},
  volume = {10},
  number = {2},
  pages = {43-55},
  doi = {10.11648/j.ijsdr.20241002.11},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijsdr.20241002.11},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ijsdr.20241002.11},
  abstract = {Climate and land use changes have exacerbated the frequency and intensity of floods in West Africa. In Togo, the communities of the Zio river sub-basin are regularly affected by flood hazard with severe socio-economic consequences. The main objective of this article is to contribute to the improvement of the resilience of these populations through a better understanding of their perceptions and coping strategies to flood hazards. To achieve this goal, a mixed method consisting of household surveys, focus groups and direct observation is used. In addition, the data collected at the household level focused on the perceptions of the flood (origin and cause), the socio-economic impacts as well as the coping strategies. The results indicate that more than 80% of the households are affected by floods and the main negative consequences are the destruction of houses (40.8%), and interruption of socio-economic activities (58.4%). In addition, the efforts to cope with the severe impacts of floods include embankment (71.6%), storage on occasional shelves (52.3%), digging ditches (26.6% and the construction of cement houses with fairly raised foundations (13.1%). This study shows that is important to integrate indigenous knowledge and local population’s opinions in the flood risk management plans in order to increase their resilience.
},
 year = {2024}
}

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TY  - JOUR
T1  - Communities’ Perceptions and Coping Strategies to Flood Hazard in a Peri-Urban Catchment: The Case Study of the Zio River Basin, Togo, West Africa

AU  - Têtou-Houyo Blakime
AU  - Kossi Komi
AU  - Kossi Adjonou
AU  - Akouété Galé Ekoue
AU  - Kodjovi Senanou Gbafa
AU  - Botolisam Polorigni
AU  - Peter Oyedele
AU  - Kouami Kokou
Y1  - 2024/05/10
PY  - 2024
N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijsdr.20241002.11
DO  - 10.11648/j.ijsdr.20241002.11
T2  - International Journal of Sustainable Development Research
JF  - International Journal of Sustainable Development Research
JO  - International Journal of Sustainable Development Research
SP  - 43
EP  - 55
PB  - Science Publishing Group
SN  - 2575-1832
UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijsdr.20241002.11
AB  - Climate and land use changes have exacerbated the frequency and intensity of floods in West Africa. In Togo, the communities of the Zio river sub-basin are regularly affected by flood hazard with severe socio-economic consequences. The main objective of this article is to contribute to the improvement of the resilience of these populations through a better understanding of their perceptions and coping strategies to flood hazards. To achieve this goal, a mixed method consisting of household surveys, focus groups and direct observation is used. In addition, the data collected at the household level focused on the perceptions of the flood (origin and cause), the socio-economic impacts as well as the coping strategies. The results indicate that more than 80% of the households are affected by floods and the main negative consequences are the destruction of houses (40.8%), and interruption of socio-economic activities (58.4%). In addition, the efforts to cope with the severe impacts of floods include embankment (71.6%), storage on occasional shelves (52.3%), digging ditches (26.6% and the construction of cement houses with fairly raised foundations (13.1%). This study shows that is important to integrate indigenous knowledge and local population’s opinions in the flood risk management plans in order to increase their resilience.

VL  - 10
IS  - 2
ER  -

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Author Information

Têtou-Houyo Blakime

Polytechnic School of Lome, University of Lome, Lomé, Togo

Contact Email

http://orcid.org/0009-0004-8055-953X
Kossi Komi

Regional Center of Excellence on Sustainable Cities in Africa (CERViDA-DOUNEDON), University of Lome, Lomé, Togo

Contact Email

http://orcid.org/0000-0001-7471-2084
Kossi Adjonou

Forestry Research Laboratory (LRF), Faculty of Science, University of Lome, Lome, Togo

Contact Email

http://orcid.org/0000-0001-8491-8107
Akouété Galé Ekoue

Research Unit in Applied and Fundamental Anthropology (URAAF), University of Lomé, Lome, Togo

Contact Email

http://orcid.org/0009-0005-5450-7709
Kodjovi Senanou Gbafa

Polytechnic School of Lome, University of Lome, Lomé, Togo; Forestry Research Laboratory (LRF), Faculty of Science, University of Lome, Lome, Togo

Contact Email

http://orcid.org/0009-0001-3952-3373
Botolisam Polorigni

Forestry Research Laboratory (LRF), Faculty of Science, University of Lome, Lome, Togo

Contact Email

http://orcid.org/0009-0002-6637-987X
Peter Oyedele

Environmental and Climate Change Unit, Oyo State Agri-Business Development Agency (OYSADA), Ibadan, Nigeria

Contact Email

http://orcid.org/0000-0002-2478-9486
Kouami Kokou

Forestry Research Laboratory (LRF), Faculty of Science, University of Lome, Lome, Togo

Contact Email

http://orcid.org/0000-0002-2400-0852

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Plain Text BibTeX RIS

APA Style

Blakime, T., Komi, K., Adjonou, K., Ekoue, A. G., Gbafa, K. S., et al. (2024). Communities’ Perceptions and Coping Strategies to Flood Hazard in a Peri-Urban Catchment: The Case Study of the Zio River Basin, Togo, West Africa. International Journal of Sustainable Development Research, 10(2), 43-55. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijsdr.20241002.11

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ACS Style

Blakime, T.; Komi, K.; Adjonou, K.; Ekoue, A. G.; Gbafa, K. S., et al. Communities’ Perceptions and Coping Strategies to Flood Hazard in a Peri-Urban Catchment: The Case Study of the Zio River Basin, Togo, West Africa. Int. J. Sustain. Dev. Res. 2024, 10(2), 43-55. doi: 10.11648/j.ijsdr.20241002.11

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AMA Style

Blakime T, Komi K, Adjonou K, Ekoue AG, Gbafa KS, et al. Communities’ Perceptions and Coping Strategies to Flood Hazard in a Peri-Urban Catchment: The Case Study of the Zio River Basin, Togo, West Africa. Int J Sustain Dev Res. 2024;10(2):43-55. doi: 10.11648/j.ijsdr.20241002.11

Copy | Download

@article{10.11648/j.ijsdr.20241002.11,
  author = {Têtou-Houyo Blakime and Kossi Komi and Kossi Adjonou and Akouété Galé Ekoue and Kodjovi Senanou Gbafa and Botolisam Polorigni and Peter Oyedele and Kouami Kokou},
  title = {Communities’ Perceptions and Coping Strategies to Flood Hazard in a Peri-Urban Catchment: The Case Study of the Zio River Basin, Togo, West Africa
},
  journal = {International Journal of Sustainable Development Research},
  volume = {10},
  number = {2},
  pages = {43-55},
  doi = {10.11648/j.ijsdr.20241002.11},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijsdr.20241002.11},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ijsdr.20241002.11},
  abstract = {Climate and land use changes have exacerbated the frequency and intensity of floods in West Africa. In Togo, the communities of the Zio river sub-basin are regularly affected by flood hazard with severe socio-economic consequences. The main objective of this article is to contribute to the improvement of the resilience of these populations through a better understanding of their perceptions and coping strategies to flood hazards. To achieve this goal, a mixed method consisting of household surveys, focus groups and direct observation is used. In addition, the data collected at the household level focused on the perceptions of the flood (origin and cause), the socio-economic impacts as well as the coping strategies. The results indicate that more than 80% of the households are affected by floods and the main negative consequences are the destruction of houses (40.8%), and interruption of socio-economic activities (58.4%). In addition, the efforts to cope with the severe impacts of floods include embankment (71.6%), storage on occasional shelves (52.3%), digging ditches (26.6% and the construction of cement houses with fairly raised foundations (13.1%). This study shows that is important to integrate indigenous knowledge and local population’s opinions in the flood risk management plans in order to increase their resilience.
},
 year = {2024}
}

Copy | Download

TY  - JOUR
T1  - Communities’ Perceptions and Coping Strategies to Flood Hazard in a Peri-Urban Catchment: The Case Study of the Zio River Basin, Togo, West Africa

AU  - Têtou-Houyo Blakime
AU  - Kossi Komi
AU  - Kossi Adjonou
AU  - Akouété Galé Ekoue
AU  - Kodjovi Senanou Gbafa
AU  - Botolisam Polorigni
AU  - Peter Oyedele
AU  - Kouami Kokou
Y1  - 2024/05/10
PY  - 2024
N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijsdr.20241002.11
DO  - 10.11648/j.ijsdr.20241002.11
T2  - International Journal of Sustainable Development Research
JF  - International Journal of Sustainable Development Research
JO  - International Journal of Sustainable Development Research
SP  - 43
EP  - 55
PB  - Science Publishing Group
SN  - 2575-1832
UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijsdr.20241002.11
AB  - Climate and land use changes have exacerbated the frequency and intensity of floods in West Africa. In Togo, the communities of the Zio river sub-basin are regularly affected by flood hazard with severe socio-economic consequences. The main objective of this article is to contribute to the improvement of the resilience of these populations through a better understanding of their perceptions and coping strategies to flood hazards. To achieve this goal, a mixed method consisting of household surveys, focus groups and direct observation is used. In addition, the data collected at the household level focused on the perceptions of the flood (origin and cause), the socio-economic impacts as well as the coping strategies. The results indicate that more than 80% of the households are affected by floods and the main negative consequences are the destruction of houses (40.8%), and interruption of socio-economic activities (58.4%). In addition, the efforts to cope with the severe impacts of floods include embankment (71.6%), storage on occasional shelves (52.3%), digging ditches (26.6% and the construction of cement houses with fairly raised foundations (13.1%). This study shows that is important to integrate indigenous knowledge and local population’s opinions in the flood risk management plans in order to increase their resilience.

VL  - 10
IS  - 2
ER  -

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